A BAD JOKE COMPOUNDED

Catalyst October Issue 1999

Michael Ducharme was about to be fired as a teacher at Eustis High School, in Central Florida. But he did the smart thing and quit.

Ducharme, complaining about the heat, told his students that “I’m as hot as a pregnant nigger.” He later apologized to his students, explaining that what he meant to say was, “I’m as hot as a pregnant nun.” What a guy.

Ducharme’s tolerance for anti-Catholicism didn’t sit well with his principal, Bill Miller, who said that Miller’s second bad joke “compounded” his mistake. We sent a letter to Miller commending him for his action.

Members should know that such tolerance for anti-Catholicism, while rejecting other forms of bigotry, is not unusual. Just a few months ago, the Seattle Times was up in arms about the name of the Seattle University mascot, called “Chieftains.” So what did the newspaper recommend as a new name? It suggested “Runnin’ Rosaries” or “The Holy Waters.”

Bigots like Ducharme and the editorial board of the Seattle Times don’t see themselves as bigots. And that’s because they don’t see anything wrong with anti-Catholicism. This makes them worse than Archie Bunker-types: all the education in the world will never undo their bigotry. That is why public pressure works so much better than dialogue in these instances.